


Sing Your Love Song

by missameliep



Category: Desire & Decorum (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Karaoke, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-15 12:01:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29435751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missameliep/pseuds/missameliep
Summary: Elizabeth hates Valentine’s Day, and she hates even more the idea of Hamid being on a date while she was dragged to a Karaoke bar where everyone seems to be thrilled about the date. Will the night be as awful as she fears?
Relationships: Briar Daly/Edmund Marlcaster, Ernest Sinclaire/Original Female Character(s), Hamid (Desire & Decorum)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	Sing Your Love Song

**Author's Note:**

> * All characters belong to Pixelberry, except OCs.  
> * Hayley Parker (OC) belongs to @noesapphic from Tumblr and she let me borrow her for this fic.  
> * This is from another Modern AU unrelated to the AUs from the series Second Chances and Taking Chances.

“Ugh! I hate Valentine’s day!”

Elizabeth grimaces and looks away when another couple kisses on the small stage of the karaoke bar after an off-key performance of ‘ _I Will Always Love You’_.

Taking the large cocktail glass with one hand, the second one so far, she gulps the pink drink until its last drop. It swirls down her throat, warming her insides and blurring her vision, but the sweetness of the cranberry juice was not enough to erase the bitter taste in her mouth.

“And I thought nothing could be worse than going clubbing tonight…” Elizabeth mutters into the empty glass.

“Aw, come on now! They were cute, Lizzy,” Briar teases.

“And both kept their clothes on,” Annabelle adds.

“A real improvement considering those two and their dirty little dance…” Hayley wiggles her eyebrows indicating the unapologetically handsy couple on the table behind theirs. “I wish I had recorded the part she ripped the buttons of his shirt. Ernest will never believe me…” She snorts with laughter against the tall glass.

“I’m here and I still don’t,” Edmund mumbles.

“They were having the time of their lives,” Annabelle jokes and lets out a laugh that is joined by the other two ladies.

Elizabeth does not laugh, her attention focused on the waiter she’s trying to summon to their table.

The first notes of the karaoke version of ‘ _Cruising’_ play again, and another couple starts their performance. 

“Awww! Not this one again!” Elizabeth blurts out, louder than she would normally do, bringing attention to herself.

From across the table, Hayley observes her and how the usually sweet girl is in an even worse mood than when she dragged her out of her flat an hour ago. _I hope you don’t regret it later, Osmanoğlu,_ she ponders, while her fingers glide on the mobile under the table, writing a message to her friend.

Elizabeth taps her nails on the table. The mobile’s light flashed once more with the notification of an incoming message and her eyes darted to the screen. Once more, it was not from the one person she hoped to text her.

_Why would he text me now? He’s in the middle of a date with someone who certainly does not rant about hating Valentine’s day when he was trying to ask her out…_

Her gaze lingers on the screen, she should put it back on her clutch. Out of sight, out of mind. But she cannot. Instead, she flips the phone, so its screen is facing down, but she still feel it vibrating with an incoming text.

“Does your annoyance have anything to do with a certain diplomat going on a date tonight, Liz?”

Her eyes dart from the mobile to Hayley’s face in front of her, a teasing smile on her lips.

“Of course not!” she scoffs, “Why would I be upset?” Briar and Hayley share a knowing look and Elizabeth insists it is not about Hamid. “He’s single. He can date whoever he wants...” her words sound even less true out loud. And she purses her lips, refraining from asking Hayley what she really wanted to know about this date.

“If it’s not about him, then what is it about, darling?” Annabelle asks, “You’re not behaving like your usual self.”

“Valentine’s day bothers me. It always has. The date has the sole purpose to boost the sales of roses, jewels, and chocolate. And it puts a lot of pressure on couples to match those standards and be _Pictagram_ perfect... Not forgetting it makes single people feel bad about themselves. There’s nothing positive about it.”

“If we were to bet on it,” Annabelle starts, unable to conceal the amusement in her voice, “of all the people we know, you were the least likely to have this kind of opinion on the holiday, darling. Even Hayley, who has too many opinions about it, enjoys herself...”

“I thought you two agreed that Valentine’s day is a stupid and arbitrary date. Setting a date to be romantic? That’s nonsensical!”

“I won’t argue about it being a commercial date, which of course it is...” Annabelle replies, “But being salty about it does anyone any good, really? I prefer to channel my annoyance creatively rather than be miserable... And if you’re open to it, you can be positively surprised...”

Hayley puts the half-empty tall tumbler down, and leans forward, her chin propped in both hands. “V-day can be kind of dumb, sure! Specially if that’s the only time of the year you do nice things and say you love your partner –”

“Or think singing these bloody songs is a good idea,” Edmund mumbles and Elizabeth agrees with him. To Briar annoyance, they clink their glasses together.

“It’s fun and romantic! Now, stop being such killjoys, you two,” Briar slaps their arms, almost spilling their drinks. “And we are all going to sing tonight.” She gesticulates with her hands, indicating the whole group. When protests erupt, Briar points a finger at them all with a menacing stare. “Sing! All of you! And you are going to have fun! No more whinging!”

Hayley raises an eyebrow at her and the exaggerated, yet convincing performance, and continues speaking after the interruptions.

“Anyways. Choosing to do something nice for someone you love – even if it is a friend – is good. So, I don’t have an issue with everything about Valentine’s day. You could try changing your perspective and enjoy yourself tonight.”

“Well, we are delightful companions,” Annabelle says and bumps her shoulder with Elizabeth’s, who gives a small smile. “Would you give it a try? For us?” The woman stares at her with her irresistible puppy eyes.

Elizabeth looks from one woman to the other, considering their smiles and expectant looks, and nods.

“Our turn!” Briar squeals and pulls Edmund by his hands, dragging him towards the stage. And Elizabeth looks at the two remaining friends at the table.

“Where are your partners anyway?”

“Ernest is working late tonight,” Hayley replies casually, eyes following Briar and Edmund, “and I usually go out with the girls after our dinner…”

“Emily is on-call tonight, so we’ll have a prolonged weekend… And I would never miss _that_!” Annabelle points at Briar and Edmund taking their places on the stage, the blonde looks paler under the spotlight.

“How did she convince him?” Elizabeth asks.

“Oh, Briar has her methods, honey...”

From their table close to the stage, it’s possible to see Edmund’s face clearly, and even a drop of sweat running down his forehead, and Elizabeth’s eyebrows frown with worry. “Edmund looks like he’s about to throw up, doesn’t he?”

“That would be hilarious.” Hayley laughs, and hers and Annabelle’s mobiles are drawn from their purses and pointed at the stage, capturing Briar waving at them and Edmund’s face turning red with the sudden attention, and then redder when Hayley and Annabelle cheered and screamed his name.

“Shake your booty, Marlcaster!” Hayley shouts when the music starts, and some patrons whistle. Briar pulls him by the hand for him to not walk off the stage.

The first notes of ‘ _Don’t Go Breaking My Heart’_ resound, and Edmund freezes and misses the queue. Briar moves closer and takes his hand, reassuring him with a smile. Both look so tenderly at each other that Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile at how sweet they were even despite Edmund not reaching any of the notes. Part of the audience sings along to the _Oohs_ and _Woo-hoos,_ encouraging the pair, until the final _“Don’t Go Breaking My Heart”._

The trio of women claps and cheers, and Briar grins and blows kisses at them. Meanwhile Edmund extracts his hand from hers and a moment later reaches the table, hand eagerly grabbing the pint and taking it to his lips.

“Kudos on not throwing up, Marlcaster,” Annabelle raises her glass to him, and he mutters what they assume is a long string of profanities under his breath.

The group is once again complete, and between bites at the chips and pizza, the conversations grow livelier, even if Elizabeth’s and Edmund’s opinions about the holiday or the performances haven’t improved much over the past minutes.

Halfway through an enjoyable presentation of One Direction’s ‘ _What makes you beautiful’_ , that has the girls singing along, Briar returns grinning and sits back on her chair. “I signed us to a group performance,” she announces pointing at the three women.

“I’m not singing,” Hayley states.

“Please, please,” Briar insists, hands joined towards her friend. “You have such a lovely voice...”

“I know, but I’m too sexy for this crowd,” she mocks and sips her gin tonic.

“It’d be just like old times. Remember how much fun we had?”

“Really? Like old times?” Hayley smiles mischievously, “And what are we singing? t.A.T.u.’s ‘ _All The Things She Said’_ like we used to? With that little performance of ours?” The tip of her index finger glides on her lower lip purposefully, and Briar giggles.

“We can do that one later,” Briar winks playfully and blows a kiss to her friend, and her boyfriend’s blonde eyebrows raise and almost disappear at the hairline over the exchange. “But now we’re singing one Elizabeth can join too.”

“Oh! I’m _not_ singing,” she says stressing the negative word and waving her hand.

“Come on, darlings! it will be fun!”

“I’ve chosen _Wannabe_. It’s easy and I know you know the lyrics and the choreography.” Briar points at her and sings the chorus, the other two joining her. Elizabeth only watches while the trio raises to their feet, doing a little dance.

Hayley walks around her chair, and whispers into Elizabeth’s ear, “Even if you suck, this lot of drunks won’t even notice!” Hayley winks and Elizabeth looks around. The place is less crowded. Various tables on the back are empty and the groups still present are enrolled on their conversations or taking turns singing and embarrassing themselves as well. She chews on her bottom lip and at the idea of singing. Perhaps it’s the aftereffects of the amount of alcohol she’s not used to drink, but seeing them so excited makes her consider letting loose like that for once could be fun and do her good.

Gulping the remaining of her drink, she says, “Alright!” and wishes there were more alcohol in the glass to boost her courage, before joining them.

The others smile and share meaningful looks that Elizabeth does not understand. There is no answer when she asks ‘ _what’s going on?’_ besides excited cheers and the conversation shifts to which part each one will sing.

Hand in hand, the four climb the small side stairs to the stage. 

Under the spotlights is hot and the brightness makes it difficult for her to see the faces in the audience, which was unexpected and actually perfect all things considered.

When the familiar melody starts, Hayley sings first. Her beautiful voice resounds, while the others do choreographed steps. A moment later, it’s Elizabeth’s turn, and her singing voice surprises everyone, including herself.

Sharing two microphones, the four sing the chorus together, accompanied by a few voices from the audience, and they smile at each other.

Excited, Briar points at the screen and lets Elizabeth sing her part, and the brunette moves to dance with Hayley. Leaning towards the mic, Elizabeth’s face turns to Hayley’s direction and she gets a glimpse of someone near the stage who looks awfully like Hamid.

_My mind is playing tricks on me,_ Elizabeth thinks, _It’s impossible. If his date went well, they’re probably already at his place…_ However, she does not have enough time to mull over it before Annabelle’s tall figure blocks her vision. The woman dances her way to her, and taking her hand, she spins Elizabeth. They both laugh and they’re no longer grown women, but teenagers enjoying themselves. The chorus plays once more. More laughter. And Hayley snakes an arm around Elizabeth’s waist and they share the microphone. The music fades, and people clap. Everything happens so fast. Even Edmund is standing, and Briar’s face glows with excitement and the tiniest beads of sweat peppering her tawny skin.

When they descend the stairs to return to their table, Elizabeth’s heart is racing, and her hands cover her flushed cheeks. Hayley and Annabelle speak about the presentation and suggest they should come back to this karaoke more often. Then her attention shifts immediately from their conversation to the familiar masculine voice that greets the remaining patrons.

Her long curly hair bounces when she turns around to face the stage. Under the spotlight, Hamid is standing alone, wearing one his perfect tailored suits, holding the microphone.

_Where did he even come from?_

Wincing, she shuffles past her friends, missing the way his gaze follows her.

“– I’m dedicating this song to someone that is dearest to my heart. A woman so special that –

“What the flying fudge cracker!” Elizabeth mutters under her breath. _He’s here! And he’ll sing to his date! God, how I hate Valentine’s Day!_

Before she crosses the distance that separates her from her clutch and her escape, a hand curls around her wrist, stopping her.

“I think you want to hear this one,” Hayley says into her ear.

“I don’t think so, Hayley,” Elizabeth sighs, shaking her head, but she listens the last part of Hamid’s speech.

“– and her friendship makes my world so much better. Happy Valentine’s day, Liz!”

Her jaw almost drops to the floor, as her face jerks back to look at him.

“Told you so,” Hayley teases, and gently wraps one arm around her, guiding her closer to the stage while the music starts playing.

She immediately recognizes the melody of _‘Your Song’,_ one of her favourites, and she smiles to herself that he remembered that. But it’s not really a surprise since he knows so much about her.

Hamid looks at her and then gestures to someone behind him. The music stops, and Elizabeth’s mind has no time to process what’s happening, before he speaks directly at her.

“And before I forget myself,” Hamid speaks away from the mic, his smile impossibly wide, “I want you to know, Liz, that I do wanna be your lover, if you want me to. I’ll be for real, I promise. And I already get along with your friends.” With a wink, he turns around and with a wave of his hand, the music resumes.

A flow of blood warms her cheeks. She doesn’t know if she should be mortified that he saw her on the stage a few moments ago or thrilled that finally one of them mustered the courage to take the leap, even if it’s in a such a public and cheeky way.

Hamid’s baritone voice is smooth and clear, and he sings the lyrics looking directly at her.

_“I hope you don't mind_

_That I put down in the words_

_How wonderful life is while you're in the world”_

Crouching, he holds his free hand out to her, and Hayley nudges Elizabeth, who does not move.

“God! Everybody is looking at me,” Elizabeth mumbles and tries to cover her face with a hand, but her friend stops her.

“Honey, the only people here who know you are enjoying this almost as much as you,” Hayley says and points at Briar and Edmund slow dancing, while Annabelle is recording the presentation. “Go on.”

Elizabeth moves closer to the stage, and she places her hand in Hamid’s. Grinning, the man lifts their joined hands to his lips and presses a tender kiss on the back of her hand. Looking her straight in the eye, he sings the remaining lyrics. His starry-eyes so intense and adoringly, she can barely hold his gaze. Felling all eyes upon them – upon her – prompts the urge to flee to grow inside her. But she does not run away from him. Not this time.

“I never imagined Hamid could sing this well,” a deep masculine voice speaks close to Hayley’s ear, surprising her.

“Shouldn’t you be working, _amor_?” she asks over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of the man in his dark suit. Ernest’s hands find their way to her slim waist, and his chin rests on her shoulder.

“Work can wait, darling,” Ernest replies, and his warm breath fans the side of her face.

Hayley chews on her lower lip, and inside the circle of his arms, she turns around to face him. Holding his gaze, she cups his jaw and presses her lips to his cheek, leaving a perfect imprint of her lips on the porcelain white skin of her oh-so-proper boyfriend, who shows no intention to wipe it off.

“I think I like this version of you better…” She smirks and a slow smile pulls at the corners of Ernest’s mouth. How she adores this smile. All of his smiles, actually.

“I’ve set my priorities straight. It’s Valentine’s Day.”

“Not only that, you came here despite hating this kind of place and knowing Briar would be here? You do love me.”

“You should know that by now. And that I can be civil with your friends, no matter how childish they are,” he says pulling her closer, and presses a chaste kiss to her forehead. “Besides, I got curious to see your doing.” He nods at the stage where Hamid is still singing for Elizabeth. Impossible to miss the sparkles between the two. “You are responsible for that.”

“I just gave him a little nudge,” she says, voice lilting with laughter, and Ernest’s eyebrow raise. “And perhaps a few slaps in the back of his head… And I may have shouted at him once or twice to man up. You know me. It was all very gentle... But to be fair, tonight was his idea and mostly his doing.” Hayley smiles and lets her head rest upon his chest. And they watch the final moments of the presentation in comfortable silence. His heartbeats joining the music.

Before the song ends, Hamid jogs and returns the mic to the stand, then jumps off the stage, landing right in front of Elizabeth. The woman covers her mouth and her surprise with both hands. Ignoring the stares and the shuffle of patrons queuing a few metres from them to sing next, they move closer and closer, as if pulled by a magnet. And his hand goes to her hair, tucking some curls behind her ear and the backs of his fingers gently trail down the side of her face. The touch speeds up her heart to an impossible rate, causing it to thump against its cage as if ready to leave her chest and meet his.

Looking up at him, he’s smiling, one of his cheek-dimpling smiles that crease the corners of his eyes. Eyes that are filled with adoration, and the right hint of softness and anticipation, flicking between her eyes and her lips, and absolutely no intention to acknowledge the world around them.

His shapely lips roll inside his mouth, and she catches the sight of the tip of his tongue gliding over them.

“What do you think… of the presentation I hope it was enjoyable.”

“I-I liked the… song,” she stutters, and her voice comes out hoarser than expected, and the words are not the ones she wanted to say. But the question is probably not the one he had meant to ask either.

“Liz, you don’t have to answer now... But I was wondering if you would –”

“Yes,” she breaths the word before she can stop herself, and Hamid chuckles, his smile grows wider, almost reaching his ears.

“You didn’t hear the question.”

“Sorry,” she apologises, lowering her gaze. “I’m ruining the moment. Again.”

“Never,” he says, tilting her chin up with one hand. “There would be no moment without you, _güzelim_.”

“Oh, my God!” Briar shouts, “Just kiss him already. Or I will!”

“Briar,” Edmund chides, “I’m right here!”

“Sorry, baby! But this endless pining is getting on my nerves!” she replies and turns to face the couple again. “Just carry on and kiss you two. We know you want to!”

Hayley and Annabelle join the reproaching chorus after Briar’s interruption, but Hamid seems more amused than annoyed, and Elizabeth buries her face on his chest. 

“Do you want to go somewhere we can talk?” Hamid asks, and Elizabeth looks up and nods. His fingers link with hers in a perfect fit. “Excellent. There is nothing I want more right now than for us to have a private conversation,” he pauses, and lowers his voice, whispering into her ear, “And to shower you with kisses, of course.”

“Okay.”

“Are you agreeing with the kissing part?”

“Find a place we can be alone, and you’ll find out for yourself, Hamid,” she replies with a hint of boldness that makes him grin.

And with that they walk away hand in hand.

**Author's Note:**

> Amor - Spanish word that means Love;  
> Güzelim - Turkish word that means my darling.


End file.
